Steady progress has been made in Committee during the week
with the London Government Bill. On Monday a, settlement was come to with regard to the question of triennial v. annual elections, Captain Jessel's amendment, as further amended by Mr. Balfour, providing that the Local Government Board might make an order directing that all the Councillors of a borough should be elected triennially if requested to do so by a majority of two-thirds of the members present at a meeting of the Council convened for the purpose, such majority to be not less than a majority of the whole Council. Mr. Trevelyan's proposal that any person possessing the necessary qualifications for election as a member of any one of the Borough Councils should be eligible as Councillor, Alderman, or Mayor of any other Council, met with impartial opposition on both sides of the House, Mr. Steadman fiercely denouncing it as opening the door to the "political bounder," and even its modified form restricting its operation to Aldermen, for which Mr. Balfour confessed a perSonal predilection, was rejected by nearly two to one. The amendments in favour of extending the polling hours till 10 p.m., of Saturday polling, and of holding elections in May instead of November, were all rejected, as was also Sir Charles Dilke's attempt to give the London County Council instead of the Local Government Board absolute control over the borrowing powers of the new Councils. Mr. Balfour, how- ever, agreed to an amendment providing that if the London County Council refused their sanction to a loan, an appeal should be made to the Local Government Board, whose decision should be final.
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